In the sorting of pitted and stuffed olives, final product quality largely depends on the ability to identify and remove olives that do not meet the established quality criteria. In cooked pitted and stuffed olive applications, defects such as broken olives or improper pitting can compromise product consistency and ultimately reach the consumer.
The challenge increases when inspection must be performed continuously, across high product volumes, while maintaining consistent sorting criteria throughout production.
In this context, machine vision technology makes it possible to automate quality control and inspect each olive individually, bringing greater objectivity and precision to the sorting process.
The challenge of detecting improperly pitted olives
Pitting is a critical operation in table olive processing. After this stage, it is essential to verify that the olives meet the required quality standards and remove any product presenting defects.
Some of the main quality criteria at this stage include:
- Olives broken during processing.
- Improperly pitted olives or olives presenting a “boat” defect.
- External defects affecting the visual quality of the product.
- Color defects, when color is included as part of the sorting criteria.
One of the challenges of this inspection lies in the geometry of the olive itself. A defect may be located only on a specific area of the fruit and therefore may not be visible from a single viewing angle.
An improperly pitted olive that is not detected on the line can continue through the process and ultimately reach the final product.
Machine vision and 360° inspection to see more of every olive
The Multiscan S30B is a state-of-the-art solution developed for the quality sorting of cooked pitted and stuffed olives, designed to handle high production volumes.
One of its key differentiating features is SpinSort technology, which rotates each olive as it moves through the system to maximize the surface area exposed to the vision system.
360° inspection enables olives to be viewed from multiple angles, providing a more comprehensive view of each individual piece before a sorting decision is made.
This principle is particularly important when detecting broken or improperly pitted olives. If a defect is located in an area that is not exposed to the vision system, it may go undetected. By rotating the product, a larger surface area can be inspected, increasing the system’s ability to identify these types of defects.
It is the same technological principle applied across other Multiscan solutions: maximizing the visible surface area to improve the detection of characteristics that could remain hidden during partial inspection.
Quality sorting tailored to the final product
Not every olive processing operation aims to achieve exactly the same result. Acceptance criteria may vary depending on the product, customer, format or quality specifications established for each batch.
For this reason, sorting should not be limited to a rigid configuration.
The Multiscan S30B enables sorting parameters to be configured according to specific process requirements, identifying the defects that are relevant to each production run. In addition to detecting broken or improperly pitted olives, the system can incorporate sorting criteria based on color defects.
This flexibility allows processors to adapt sorting to their own quality standards and maintain greater consistency across different production runs.
High precision, even at high production volumes
In an industrial processing line, accurately detecting defects is only part of the challenge. The technology must also be able to perform this task without becoming a bottleneck in production.
For this reason, the S30B has been specifically designed to handle high product volumes, combining processing capacity with individual inspection of each olive.
The objective is to maintain consistent quality control even under demanding production conditions, reducing reliance on manual inspection and enabling a more objective and repeatable sorting process.
Real-time data and process control
Machine vision does more than determine which products are accepted or rejected. It also transforms inspection into a valuable source of information about what is happening on the production line.
Through Multiscan software, operators can configure sorting parameters and monitor the process, adapting the criteria to the characteristics of the product being processed.
Access to real-time information facilitates production control and enables data-driven decision-making, an increasingly important capability for processing plants moving toward greater levels of automation.
This approach—combining optical sorting with configuration tools, data and process control—is also one of the foundations of Multiscan solutions for other applications.
Technology applied to a real olive processing line
Technology delivers its true value when it responds to the needs of real-world production.
The MULTISCAN S30B is a well-established technology in the olive industry, with systems currently operating in numerous olive processing facilities. Reyensur is one of them, where the S30B is integrated into the sorting process to automate quality control and detect defects such as broken or improperly pitted olives (“boat” defect).
This installation demonstrates how machine vision, 360° inspection and configurable sorting can be integrated into high-throughput industrial lines to strengthen control over final product quality.
Would you like to see the Multiscan S30B operating on a real olive sorting line?
Watch the technology in action: see how the olives rotate during inspection to maximize the surface area analyzed and how the system identifies and separates defects such as broken or improperly pitted olives.
Watch Multiscan S30B VideoGreater control over what reaches the final product
When sorting pitted and stuffed olives, the goal is not simply to remove defective products. It is about gaining greater control over the quality ultimately delivered to the customer.
The combination of high-precision machine vision, SpinSort 360° technology, configurable sorting criteria and the ability to handle high production volumes makes the Multiscan S30B a specialized solution for one of the critical stages of olive processing.
The greater the ability to observe and analyze each olive, the lower the likelihood that a defect will go undetected.
Would you like to find out how this technology could be applied to your processing line? Contact our olive industry expert, Emilio Fernández, and we will assess the specific requirements of your process.
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